EAST LANSING, Mich. — East Lansing Mayor Ruth Beier has extended the City of East Lansing’s local state of emergency through Thursday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. in light of the federal government’s extension of the guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19 through April 30.
Additional extensions of the local state of emergency declaration may be necessary at a future date, but will require a special meeting of the East Lansing City Council. Community members should also note the following closure extensions and meeting/event cancellations:
- East Lansing City Hall, the East Lansing Department of Public Works (including the recycling drop-off site), the East Lansing Public Library and the East Lansing 54B District Court will now be temporarily closed to the public through at least Thursday, April 30, with a tentative re-opening date of Friday, May 1.
- The East Lansing Hannah Community Center and East Lansing Prime Time Seniors’ program will now be temporarily closed to the public through at least Sunday, May 31, with a tentative re-opening date of Monday, June 1.
- All regularly scheduled City meetings and events have been canceled through at least April 30 (see below for other event cancellations beyond April 30); however, City staff is looking at options for limited special City meetings for essential business, including a special meeting of the East Lansing City Council at a future date (TBA) to discuss and set a public hearing for the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget and discuss other time-sensitive items. Virtual/online meeting options are being considered in order to maintain social distancing. View the City’s new virtual public meeting notices webpage, which will be updated as special meetings are set and public meeting notices are finalized during the crisis.
- The 2020 Crystal Awards reception has been postponed. The event is now tentatively scheduled to take place on July 29, 2020 at 5 p.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center.
- The East Lansing Public Library’s 2020 Books, Bites & Bids event has been postponed until a later date (TBA).
- The 2020 East Lansing Art Festival has been canceled. Staff will be working to contact all artists, vendors and sponsors to make notifications and any necessary reimbursements.
- The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center will not be open for the 2020 summer season.
- Playground equipment, outdoor sports courts, outdoor pavilions/shelters, park bathrooms and the Northern Tail Dog Park will remain closed through at least May 31, 2020. The Northern Tier Trail and most parks will remain open for physical activity (while practicing social distancing).
- There will be a temporary suspension of all activities at the East Lansing Soccer Complex and East Lansing Softball Complex as well as all other East Lansing Department of Parks, Recreation & Arts programming/events through at least May 31, 2020.
- The 2020 Recycle! East Lansing event has been canceled. Staff will be looking at other opportunities for residents to recycle household items in the future.
“While it was difficult to come to these decisions regarding our facilities, programming and events, we do believe that they are in the best interest of public health and are necessary for current planning purposes. These decisions are also in accordance with the federal guidance on large-scale events and gatherings,” said East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas.
During the City’s extended office closures, essential services will continue to be maintained, including police, fire, EMS, trash and recycling collection, water services and wastewater management. Building permits/inspections will only be issued/conducted on an emergency basis and rental inspections/re-inspections have been canceled for the month of April. Landlords can call (517) 319-6801 with questions. Additionally, yard waste collection, bulk item collection and water service shutoffs continue to be temporarily suspended/delayed. New yard waste collection dates will be announced soon. Additional COVID-19 updates from the City of East Lansing, including a City Contact List and Continuity of Operations Plan, are available at www.cityofeastlansing.com/coronavirus.